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This is the Bank of England's official guide to spotting a real £5 note:

Check the see-through window and the portrait of the Queen.

Check the Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) is gold on the front of the note and silver on the back.

Check the foil patch below the see-through window changes from 'Five' to 'Pounds' when the note is tilted.

Check the coronation crown appears 3D.

Check the ultra-violet feature.

Check the circular green foil patch on the back of the note which contains the word BLENHEIM.

The 10 key security features on the new £10 note:

(Image: PA)

There is a large see-through window on the note. A clearly defined portrait of the Queen is printed on the window with the words ‘£10 Bank of England’ printed twice around the edge.

A finely detailed metallic image of Winchester Cathedral is positioned over the window. The foil is gold on the front of the note and silver on the back. When the note is tilted a multi-coloured rainbow effect can be seen. The foil £ symbol in the window is silver on the front of the note and copper on the back

At the side of the window is a coloured quill which changes from purple to orange when the note is tilted. This effect can be seen on the front and back of the note.

On the front of the note, below the see-through window, is a silver foil patch. When the note is tilted the word ‘Ten’ changes to ‘Pounds’ and a multicoloured rainbow effect can be seen.

On the front of the note, above the see-through window, is a silver foil patch containing an image of the coronation crown which appears 3D. When the note is tilted a multi-coloured rainbow effect can be seen.

On the back of the note, there is a book-shaped copper foil patch which contains the letters JA. It is immediately behind the silver crown on the front.

The note is printed on polymer which is a thin and flexible plastic material. By running your finger across the front of the note you can feel raised print in areas such as the words ‘Bank of England’ and in the bottom right corner, around the number 10.

The printed lines and colours on the note are sharp, clear and free from smudges or blurred edges

Using a magnifying glass, look closely at the lettering beneath the Queen’s portrait – you will see the value of the note written in small letters and numbers.

If you look at the front of the note under a good quality ultra-violet light, the number 10 appears in bright red and green whilst the background remains dull in contrast

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According to the Bank of England, a polymer £20 note will be issued in 2020.

It will feature the artist JMW Turner and will replace the current paper note.

Whether or not it will be just as "impossible" to forge as the fiver and tenner remains to be seen.

In the meantime, however, crooks are making hay while the sun shines by passing off fake £20 notes.

A warning has been issued by a nightclub in Lincoln about "convincing" £20 notes used to dupe staff, writes LincolnshireLive .

The Alleykat Club warned other businesses know about what it calls an "influx" of counterfeit cash, including £20, £10 and £5 notes, that are so close to the real thing that they even pass the UV scanner test.

And the premises claims other people have complained about the problem, which they want stamping out.

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'After much arguing at the bank, we need to share this with you all,' it read.

'You're the people that support us with your custom so we feel we owe it to you all to warn you that there is a sudden influx of fake £20 notes doing the rounds again in Lincoln.

'We took several £20s over the weekend and the bank today told us that over a dozen of them are fakes, so please be careful and check your cash.'

In the comments, the club described the notes "very good fakes, because you can usually feel a fake note... and they pass some test pens".

It also said their bank called them "top end fakes" which have been recently made.

Mark Ellis, who helps out at the club, said: "We took quite a few last weekend and I was speaking to a taxi driver who said it had happened to him as well - so we're all out of pocket. It's happened to other people too.